The Town of Stephenville (6,719 inhabitants in 2011; 3,569 ha) is located in
southwestern Newfoundland.

Stephenville was known from 1848 to 1870 as
Indian Head. The early settlers of the place, William Hunt and James Penney,
from Margaree, Cape Breton, founded in 1844 a settlement known as the Acadian
Village. The today's name of the town refers to the first person born in the
area, Stephen Gallant or Stephen LeBlanc. In 1941, Stephenville counted some 500
inhabitants living from farming and fishing. The population increased to 7,000
people within a few years, following the construction of the Stephenville Air
Base of the US Air Force, which was renamed Ernest Harmon Air Force Base on 23
June 1948. In 1957, the Canadian Department of Transportation constructed an air
terminal building to accommodate Trans Canada Airlines. The Air Force Base was
closed in 1966. Owned and operated by a local airport authority, the
Stephenville Airport is now a technical stop for international flights on route
to Europe.
http://www.townofstephenville.com - Municipal website

The flag of
Stephenville is in proportions 1:2, vertically divided blue-white-blue, 1:2:1,
with the town's emblem in the middle. The town's emblem prominently shows an
airport runaway and an airplane, alluding to the former US Air Force Base, now
the Stephenville Airport.Ivan Sache, 12 August 2012